Pharoah's Army Got Drowned eBook

“But,” as Polly Stevens had said, “we
are instructed all day long in school, and a good
deal out of school, too, for that matter; and what
we need most is absolutely foolish recreation; the
foolisher the better.”

And so the Saturday afternoon meetings had developed
into merely merry frolics, with a cup of tea, which
was often a figure of speech for chocolate or lemonade,
at the close.

There were no rules, and the girls took pleasure in
calling themselves unruly members. There were
no dues, and consequently no occasion for a secretary
or treasures. Patty continued to be called the
president, but the title meant nothing more than the
fact that she was really a chief favourite among the
girls. No one was bound, or even expected to attend
the meetings unless she chose; but, as a rule, a large
majority of the club was present.

And so to-day, in the library at Polly Stevens’s
house, nine members of the Tea Club were chattering
like nine large and enthusiastic magpies.

“Now we can go on with the entertainment,”
said Lillian Desmond, as she sat on the arm of Patty’s
chair, curling wisps of the presidential hair over
her fingers. “If Patty had gone away, I
should have resigned my part in the show and gone
into a convent. Where are you going to live, Patty?”

“I don’t know, I am sure; we haven’t
selected a house yet; and if we don’t find one
we like, papa may build one, though I believe Marian
has one all picked out for us.”

“Yes, I have,” said Marian. “It’s
the Bigelow house on our street. I do want to
keep Patty near us.”

“The Bigelow house? Why, that’s too
large for two people. Patty and Mr. Fairfield
would get lost in it. Now, I know a much nicer
one. There’s a little house next-door to
us, a lovely, little cottage that would suit you a
lot better. Tell your father about it, Patty.
It’s for sale or rent, and it’s just the
dearest place.”

“Why, Laura Russell,” cried Marian, “that
little snip of a house! It wouldn’t hold
Patty, let alone Uncle Fred. You only proposed it because
you want Patty to live next-door to you.”

“Yes; that’s it,” said Laura, quite
unabashed; “I know it’s too little, but
you could add ells and bay-windows and wings and things,
and then it would be big enough.”

“Would it hold the Tea Club?” said Patty.
“I must have room for them, you know.”

“Oh, won’t it be fun to have the Tea Club
at Patty’s house!” cried Elsie. “I
hadn’t thought of that.”

“What’s a home without a Tea Club?”
said Patty. “I shall select the house with
an eye single to the glory and comfort of you girls.”

“Then I know of a lovely house,” said
Christine Converse. “It’s awfully
big, and it’s pretty old, but I guess it could
be fixed up. I mean the old Warner place.”

“Good gracious!” cried Ethel; “’way
out there! and it’s nothing but a tumble-down
old barn, anyhow.”

“Oh, I think it’s lovely; and it’s
Colonial, or Revolutionary, or something historic;
and they’re going to put the trolley out there
this spring,—­my father said so.”